Lack Of Trust Exercise
by anxiousgeek
Summary: Friendship fic. Classic team. The boot's on the other shoe, as Sam has to take charge in a female-dominated society. Set around season Three/Four. For the sg1friendathon @


They were flanked by men in tunics, wearing necklaces made of copper, and while they weren't physically being pushed into 'The Great Hall' Jack felt like the shove was coming any second.

At first they couldn't see Sam among the women in the hall, all eyes on every blonde head they saw, until Daniel spotted her sitting near the head of the table, laughing with the woman they recognised at the head of this town. Mayra. Or Mary. Jack couldn't quite remember. Nor did he care right then, not when Daniel had been denied access to some ruins the younger man was positively salivating over. And a salivating Daniel made Jack curious. Ever so slightly curious but enough that he was willing to let the man crawl over the dusty rocks and stones for a few hours.

When they approached the table, always kept at least five feet away, Sam saw them and smiled, jumping up out of her chair with a few quiet words to Mayra. Or Maria. She ran over to them, revealing she'd changed at some point during their afternoon on Suma, a small town on a planet that used a lot of copper. And used to have something to do with the Ancients by the look at some of the ruins.

If they could look at the ruins.

"Hey!" Sam said, face flushed from laughing with her new friends. She was dressed in gauzy green trousers and a long sleeve top, the clothes deceptively thicker than it looked and on her feet jeweled sandals that Jack was staring at.

"Nice outfit Carter," he said, not looking up from her feet. He went to cradle his P-90 but remembered it was gone, taken by the women the moment they'd stepped through the gate. "You have sparkly toes." She blushed even brighter red and Daniel and Teal'c both looked down to see her toe nails were pained bright pink.

"Um," she didn't really know how to react to that, her toes were sparkly. "Mayra didn't think I should be wearing the uniform of men, said it didn't fit me properly," she said, ignoring the matter entirely. "I thought Daniel would approve."

"Since when was Daniel in charge of anything," Jack said, his tone light but his face stern, confusing everyone.

"Sir," Sam snapped back.

"Good idea Sam," Daniel said, stepping forward between them almost. "It's nice," he added.

"It is indeed fetching." Teal'c put in. Jack mouthed the word fetching and Daniel rolled his eyes.

"We've been refused entrance to the ruins," he said.

"What happened?"

"Nothing. We got there, the guards said Mayra had changed her mind."

"She hasn't said anything Sir," she frowned, glancing back at the table, "let me talk to her. Stay here." She knew they didn't really have much of a choice with two guards flanking them but she said it anyway. Ever since they had arrived and discovered the matriarchal society, Sam had been torn between taking the lead to get them what they wanted (and to keep them out of trouble) and being a subordinate to the Colonel. She knew he was hating it, she understood why, SG-1 was his team and he had problems with authority figures anyway. A subordinate authority figure? The confusion was causing more tension.

The three men stood watching from the periphery, as Sam spoke to Mayra, heads close as they discussed things for a few minutes. Jack was shifting from foot to foot, Teal'c's raising an eyebrow slightly as he stood still next to him, trying not to be annoyed by the Colonel's agitation.

"We should just go home and send a bunch of women back," he said, grumbling.

"I need to see these ruins myself Jack," Daniel said, "and there aren't any female archaeologists on staff at the SGC."

"There are not many females on staff at all," Teal'c said.

"Yeah, well, I'm sorry, that's not my fault. I'm all for more women at the SGC," Jack replied.

Sam came running back to them, looking a little awkward in the sandals, giving the guards a glance before rejoining her team.

"She doesn't trust us," she said, quietly, "well, she doesn't trust you."

"Because we're men."

"Exactly."

"So, now what?" Daniel asked. "I really need to see those ruins."

"She says she needs time to get to know you. To trust you." Sam looked like she wanted to shrug, this wasn't her decision but she wanted to make it, for them, because, they were almost second class citizens on this planet. Almost. "They have invited us to stay overnight, have places for us to sleep."

"We should stay Jack." The Colonel looked to Teal'c who merely nodded.

* * *

"She's enjoying this," Jack grumbled, kicking at the dirt with the toes of his boots. Daniel looked up from his book and across the square and saw Sam laughing, hand resting on Mayra's arm to hold herself up as she chuckled.

"So?"

"Well, we're miserable and stuck with these guys," he gestured to the two guards that were sitting watching them, "in our little pen," he gestured to the area they had been confused to for the day, "and Carter's out there laughing her head off while the head honcho hits on her."

"Hits on her?"

"If Mayra was a guy it would be obvious what she was doing but..."

"Jack, you're just jealous," Daniel said, "grow up, it's not like we haven't done the same to her."

"No, but.."

"Major Carter does not have the freedom of the town either," Teal'c said, "Mayra, or another woman, is with her always."

"Because she's hitting on her."

"Jack, that would be...hot, but you're seeing something that's not there because you're bored." Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Hot?" Daniel blushed then smiled.

"Look, we could be using this time to talk to the locals, and try and get their trust too," he said.

"We could learn much from these men." Teal'c was looking at their guard.

"Do these two talk?" Jack waved his hand in front of one their guards faces, making the man smile a little.

"We talk."

"Are you allowed to talk?" Daniel asked.

"Of course we are," the other said, like it was the most ridiculous notion, "it's not very professional."

"So let's talk," Jack said sarcastically, looking at Daniel. "And eat," he added, "I'm starving."

* * *

"This is a waste of our time."

They were sat in the Suma version of the barracks, which were empty apart from SG-1. The one thing Mayra would give to the male members of the team was some privacy, so they now occupied three bunks at the far end of the room. Jack was lying on his back, hands links behind his head, cap over his eyes shielding him from the moonlight filtering into the large room. Teal'c was sat on the floor next to him, legs crossed, preparing for Kel-no-room, just as soon as the Colonel decided it was time to sleep. Daniel and Sam sat on the bunk opposite him, the archaeologist perched on the edge, the Major sitting with her legs crossed like Teal'c, at the end of the bed.

"I'm getting somewhere Sir," she said, shifting a little.

"And so are we Jack, with our guards and some of the men."

"Like Mayra, or any of the women, are going to listen to whatever the man say," the Colonel said, not looking from behind his cap.

"They do," Sam protested, "I've seen it, it's a more equal society than it seems."

"From your perspective, not from mine," he said, "ours," he amended with a thought to Daniel and Teal'c.

"No, really, it's just new men they don't trust. They believe women from outside their society have the ability to work and live in a more equal society, but from past experience, men aren't as accepting," Sam explained, trying not to sound frustrated, Daniel's hand on her arm telling her she'd failed somewhat.

"Isn't that sexist?"

"Yes!" she said, not even trying anymore, "but we've been in sexist societies before, it's just taking time because the ratio is reversed and I have to get an entire town to trust three men."

"Yeah, because we're so untrustworthy it takes this long."

"Maybe if you didn't make it so difficult Jack," Daniel said, his voice quiet and calm unlike his friends.

"I am not making this difficult. I am making this easy and letting the Major do her job," he said, "which would be easier if she weren't having so much fun!"

"Sorry Sir!" she snapped, "I'll stop trying to get Mayra to like and trust me and do it your way!" She untangled her legs and jumped from the bunk, stalking off of the room, an effect ruin by the gauzy outfit.

"That was uncalled for Jack." Daniel said after the door was slammed shut. "I know you're frustrated but Sam's doing her best."

"Major Carter is working hard in order to gain Mayra's trust."

"As if one conscience wasn't enough," Jack muttered, he lifted his cap from his eyes and looked at Daniel, and Teal'c, as they started intently at him. "Dammit." He got up and jogged out of the barracks, looking around for Sam, ignoring of the guard on his tail once again. He spotted her and caught up with her.

"Sir," she growled and he smiled to himself.

"Sorry Carter."

"Colonel?" She stopped and turned to face him, looking as intimidating as ever despite the pale green outfit.

"I'm taking out my frustrations on you instead of Daniel. He's used to it, you aren't."

"We're all used to it Sir, but you're frustrated with me, for no reason," she said, "Sir."

"I know you're trying your best."

"And I understand your frustration."

"So...good, go, I'm bored and want to wander without Steve here following me all the time."

"His name is Stemn Sir," Jack shrugged.

"If you go and convince Mayra to trust us unruly men, then I don't need to learn his name."

"Yes Sir," she said with a small chuckle.

* * *

"Women only next time," Jack said, trying not to let his team see how much he had missed having his weapons on his, cradling the P-90 that was handed back to him.

"Mayra and her people trust us now, we can come back."

"Maybe I don't want to come back," he was still sniping at his team but he didn't mean it, and was sure they knew it. Sam smiled, pulling her tac-vest on over her uniform. The gauzy green outfit, and the yellow one that had followed the day after were in her bag, rolled up and rumpled but part of her souvenir collection.

"Mayra says we're all welcome. She's a very nice woman, just wants to protect her people and their way of life," she explained.

"I found her most interesting." Teal'c said.

"She really liked you Teal'c," Daniel said with a grin, "which is strange, because Jack thought she was hitting on Sam."

"What?!" Jack went red and Sam started to laugh.

"I hoped she was hitting on you...wait, that's not right," he said, "Daniel thought it would be hot too."

"Teal'c?" Sam asked, with a grin.

"I did not think Mayra was 'hitting on you'," he said, "and had no opinion on its temperature."

"Let's just go before I get my boot stuck in my mouth."

"Or Sam slaps you."

"I do not slap. I punch as well you know," she smiled and Daniel looped an arm with hers, dialing up Earth with his other hand.

"When have you hit Daniel?"

"I would never hit Daniel," she said.

"Would you hit me?" She looked him up and down, wondering if his question was serious.

"Yes," she said, blushing, "Sir," she added.

"Jack, after the past couple of days, you deserve it," Daniel said, stepping back when the gate opened.

"Teal'c?" They all looked to the Jaffa for his answer.

"I agree with Daniel Jackson."


End file.
